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Once payment is confirmed, the system automatically provisions a dedicated physical Mac mini and initializes macOS. The credentials email usually arrives in about 4 minutes and includes: node IP, system account name, initial password, and VNC port. Do these three things in order:

1. SSH in once using the IP and account from the email to confirm the machine is online and the account works (see "First SSH Connection" below for the command).
2. Change the initial password and VNC password right away (see "Update Your Credentials") — the initial password is meant for one-time use only.
3. Check the console to confirm the instance status shows "Running," and verify the node and model match your order.

The machine ships with Xcode and common command-line tools pre-installed. Both the macOS GUI and command line are fully usable right away — no extra activation steps needed.

1. After SSH login, run passwd and follow the prompts to enter your old and new passwords, changing the system account password.
2. The VNC password is changed separately: on the graphical desktop, go to System Settings → General → Sharing → Screen Sharing, and update the access password in the options.
3. Append your local public key to the machine's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys for passwordless login. Once the key works, we recommend disabling password login in sshd_config.

passwd
Changing password for opsmac.
Old Password: ********
New Password: ************
passwd: password updated successfully

This is a dedicated physical machine — credentials are issued to you and you alone. Safekeeping your credentials is your responsibility; if they're ever compromised, change your password immediately and open a ticket.

1. Open a local terminal (on Windows, PowerShell or Windows Terminal both work) and run ssh account@node-ip.
2. On first connection you'll be asked to confirm the host fingerprint — type yes and press Enter. The fingerprint is saved to your local known_hosts, so you won't be asked again.
3. Enter the initial password from the email; once you see the shell prompt, you're logged in. Then follow "Update Your Credentials" to switch to key-based login.

ssh opsmac@203.0.113.24
The authenticity of host '203.0.113.24' can't be established.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
opsmac@mini-sg-01 ~ %

For full instructions on uploading keys, hardening security, and restricting by source IP, see the step-by-step guide on the "How Do I Connect" page →

1. Screen sharing is enabled by default when your machine is delivered. If it's off, SSH in and re-enable it under System Settings → General → Sharing.
2. Install any standard VNC client locally, enter node-ip:VNC-port as the address (the port is in your credentials email), and use your VNC password to connect.
3. We recommend starting at 1920×1080 resolution with "medium" color quality. On cross-region connections, prioritize smoothness first, then dial up quality as needed.
4. macOS users can also press ⌘K in Finder and enter vnc://node-ip to connect with the built-in Screen Sharing app.

The graphical desktop and command line work independently and at the same time: use VNC for Xcode's GUI, and SSH for build scripts — one doesn't interfere with the other.

1. Create a new self-hosted runner in your repository settings on your code hosting platform to get a registration token.
2. SSH into your cloud Mac, download the runner package, and run config.sh to register. We recommend designing labels around "OS + chip + purpose" so workflows can target the right machine precisely.
3. Install it as a persistent service with svc.sh (backed by launchd) so the runner automatically comes back online after a reboot.

./config.sh --url your-repo-url --token registration-token --labels macos,m4,selfhosted
./svc.sh install && ./svc.sh start
√ Connected to server. Listening for Jobs

Concurrency tip: the M4 Home (16GB) is most stable running a single concurrent job; for parallel workloads, choose the 64GB M4 Pro Workstation. For a deeper dive into service configuration, see the "How Do I Connect" page →